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POLL: Political voting behaviour / attitudes

8y, 4m agoPosted 8 years, 4 months ago

A three question poll on political voting behaviour and attitudes. Please leave your answers and do not respond to others' answers. Poll will stay open for one week, afterwhich I will post the results.

1) Which political party/s have you voted for in the past? (general elections, not local):

1. Conservatives and labour
2. Conservatives
3. Fed up of my hard earned money going to those who CHOOSE ( note the word choose - I'm well aware that there are many genuine cases out there who have no other option) not to work when they can have an easier life on benefits. More and more taxpayers money has been thrown at health and education with little positive impact on these services - nicer cars for doctors and teachers though from what I see in the car parks.

1) Which political party/s have you voted for in the past? (general elections, not local):

Greens. Labour.

2) Which party would you vote for if there was a general election next month?:

Labour.

3) What are the main issues influencing your answers above?

Still the best option from the viable alternatives in a general election. (I might use my vote straegically and vote for one of the smaller progressive parties in a situation where I was sure labour would win). Despite moves to the centre to get/hold on to power, the underlying socialist ethos still remains at the heart of Labour.

"Fed up of my hard earned money going to those who CHOOSE ( note the word choose - I'm well aware that there are many genuine cases out there who have no other option) not to work when they can have an easier life on benefits"

This annoys me too, the family of 6 a couple of doors down from me are sunning themselves for 2 weeks in spain.

Neither work full time and know how to use every benefit rule in the book to escape work or get a new TV etc...

1) SNP once, Liberal Democrats the rest.
2) Liberal Democrats
3) I chose the SNP the first time I could vote as I couldn't bear to vote for the Tories and Labour were so corrupt in the area I grew up in as they were in a very safe seat. As I got older I felt there was no Socialist option that was feasible at first, but the Liberals seemed to say most of what I personally felt was right and just. I think that Labour are so far removed from what they once were and feel it's a case of consensus politics between them and the Tories so neither is a viable option for me.

In the Scottish Elections I vote for the Scottish Socialists using the regional vote (which is basically a proportional representation type vote) as it does the most good there compared to constituency votes where they would not get a seat in the 'first past the post' situation. Despite the in-fighting with Tommy (The Suntan Socialist) Sheridan I still feel they have policies that could make a huge change for the best and really address the underlying social problems that are evidenced by poverty and crime. With the constituency votes I go for the Liberal Democrats as it's the closest to my personal beliefs from the mainstream parties.

I worry when I see/hear people say they won't vote, we're lucky to live somewhere that we do get to vote and that we have a relatively wide choice of parties to vote for. The only power you have over politicians is your vote, please don't disregard it people!

1) SNP once, Liberal Democrats the rest.
2) Liberal Democrats
3) I chose the SNP the first time I could vote as I couldn't bear to vote for the Tories and Labour were so corrupt in the area I grew up in as they were in a very safe seat. As I got older I felt there was no Socialist option that was feasible at first, but the Liberals seemed to say most of what I personally felt was right and just. I think that Labour are so far removed from what they once were and feel it's a case of consensus politics between them and the Tories so neither is a viable option for me.

In the Scottish Elections I vote for the Scottish Socialists using the regional vote (which is basically a proportional representation type vote) as it does the most good there compared to constituency votes where they would not get a seat in the 'first past the post' situation. Despite the in-fighting with Tommy (The Suntan Socialist) Sheridan I still feel they have policies that could make a huge change for the best and really address the underlying social problems that are evidenced by poverty and crime. With the constituency votes I go for the Liberal Democrats as it's the closest to my personal beliefs from the mainstream parties.

That's the most well-thought through (and principled) answer to date. Thanks for that :thumbsup: I think you have better options currently in Scotland than in other parts of the UK. I'm interested to know more about your thoughts about Alex Sammond and the SNP crowd. I haven't had time to follow things there properly, but he is a persuasive and cogent politician who makes a lot of the Westminster crowd sound cliched and out of touch. Is he not the man of high principle that he appears to be though..?

I have voted Lib Dems in every election to date. By nature, I am a socialist, but Labour have zero chance of getting elected in my constituency.

Having seen 18 years of misery under the tories, I could never vote for them, even though I will admit that Bliar has cocked up far too many issues for my liking and are probably almost (but not) as bad as the tories were before them.

The election before last, Lib Dems missed out by about 100 votes, so its definitely not a wasted vote from my perspective.

I have voted Lib Dems in every election to date. By nature, I am a socialist, but Labour have zero chance of getting elected in my constituency.

Having seen 18 years of misery under the tories, I could never vote for them, even though I will admit that Bliar has cocked up far too many issues for my liking and are probably almost (but not) as bad as the tories were before them.

The election before last, Lib Dems missed out by about 100 votes, so its definitely not a wasted vote from my perspective.

Hey guv, one minute you were there, the next you are here! :)

Your choice also makes sense, and as something with the same political leanings I'd also consider the Lib Dems if they were a credible alternative in my constituency. Unfortunately we have a Tory representing us, which I find amazing as I can't see where his support base comes from. Lancaster always appears to me to be divided between the liberal academic crowd connected with the University and the large working class majority. Is the average Brit so conservative by nature that they can be attracted to a party that acts against their own class interests? It seems so :? But the average voter hasn't a clue though. They think politics is all about keeping the other down or out. :-(

Really? What elections did you stand for (don't worry, don't need the location!)?

I'd also like to know why the move from labour? Was it to help you get elected or for principled reasons..?

I stood for local elections in south wales. I felt that in general Labour was letting people down both locally and on a national level. There is a local issue arising which i felt needed opposing, which if i stood and got in, i could do.
There needs to be democracy in Council with cross party scrutiny. Only then will fairness and representation work.
Plus i believe that younger ideas should stand in Council. Stereotypically Councillors are thought of as * old* however this elections brought alot more younger blood which is a good thing. We have more under 40s this term than any time in the past. ( I think i am one of the youngest )

I stood for local elections in south wales. I felt that in general Labour was letting people down both locally and on a national level. There is a local issue arising which i felt needed opposing, which if i stood and got in, i could do.
There needs to be democracy in Council with cross party scrutiny. Only then will fairness and representation work.
Plus i believe that younger ideas should stand in Council. Stereotypically Councillors are thought of as * old* however this elections brought alot more younger blood which is a good thing. We have more under 40s this term than any time in the past. ( I think i am one of the youngest )

Soz im boring you now aint i,

xx

Not at all - I'm actually impressed! Congratulations on your election - I hope you can keep your eye on ball and realise some of the ambitions you have for your new role. I know someone who is a member of the assembly in NI, and what I understand from this 'first hand' knowledge is that it is quite easy to be seduced by the position and forget the reasons you decided to take the role in the first place. That's why politicians like Tony Benn and the like stand out, because they don't forget their principles. Well done again :thumbsup:

can i just say it think they are all **** and that we (as a county) dont stand a chance.

this may cause controversy but.... i dont think we pay our mps enough to attract the kind of high quality people that we need to run the country, if you consider that ceos of large companies earn millions per year, why would truly world class leaders bother to work for an mps wage. i know there are a lot of complaints about mps wages but would we really mind if they did there job properly.

i dont know if im getting my point accross very well, but i hope you know what i mean.

anyway sorry for not answering the poll liddle, i hope you'll forgive me. if not heres my answers

@ guerilla - yes, your point is clear, but you have to remember that MPs accumulate capital in many ways beyond their salaries - and not just economic capital. The prestige and status that comes with the honour of being an MP ensures that they can get places on boards etc if they want them. But you should also consider that you don't have to map the business world onto politics. An MPs salary is more than enough to have a high standard of living, and you are assuming that economic advancement is the primary driving force for all politicians. I'd like to think that there are many more motivations than that. Indeed, most of the problems with the political system arise when money becomes the primary motivator.

1. labour & lib dem (tactically)
2. lib dem again tactically
3. It seems inevitable that the people of this country will swarm the way they are told to by the media, especially TV and tabloid newspapers. I have always voted for the most liberal (small l) political party with egalitarian values and an agenda which will lead to richer lives ( care, NHS, education, 'culture') for the population at large, except where I have had to vote Lib Dem to keep the Tories out. The lurch to the right under Blair, the infringements on personal liberties and the waste of vast resources in the NHS and in Education have demonstrated that there is no longer a large party on the political left.

That's the most well-thought through (and principled) answer to date. Thanks for that :thumbsup: I think you have better options currently in Scotland than in other parts of the UK. I'm interested to know more about your thoughts about Alex Sammond and the SNP crowd. I haven't had time to follow things there properly, but he is a persuasive and cogent politician who makes a lot of the Westminster crowd sound cliched and out of touch. Is he not the man of high principle that he appears to be though..?

Cheers Liddle, my teenage years were during the 80s so I think it was an easy time to see how directly politics affects people's lives and the social structure of the country. It just fired me up enough to become politicised.

Alex Sammond I'm reserving judgement about to be honest, he seems plausible and is a very articulate man. I think Salmond does seem to try his best to rise above the petty stuff and the goading of political interviewers most of the time which is admirable. I guess only time will tell if he really is as good as he seems. I just have an inherent distrust of poiticians as there are relatively few of them with true integrity that holds out. I also agree with you about Tony Benn, the man is a fantastic example of what a politician should be. A real humanitarian with a strong principle behind all of his thinking that he has never compromised.

Also, well done to pcnutta, I'm well impressed that you got up and did something because you felt you didn't have a viable option that would represent you the way you wanted. Good on you!